Last year, I did a project called Scent of the Day. For a month, every day, I talked about a scent on Facebook. I have been asked by friends to make these musings available on the blog, as it’s impossible to find anything on Facebook. So I’ll copy my mini-reviews here, but it needs to be done in batches – otherwise it’d be an insanely long post. You can find the first instalment here.

Part 2 is going to be all over the place: from an ultimate classic (Mitsouko) to a cheap thrill (Elizabeth Arden Green Tea) to modern opulence (Amouage Lyric) to a Scandinavian candle (Byredo Bibliothèque). My notes on availability are a bit – but not entirely – specific to Estonia, but I’ve kept them, just in case. I have to apologise for the pictures again, as they were random snaps for Facebook, but I’ve kept these, too, for reference and some amusement value. (The cover photo is new.)

2 APRIL
Scent of the Day: Mitsouko EdT (Guerlain)

Yes, this picture of Mitsouko, the classic of the classics, the greatest masterpiece of Jacques Guerlain, was taken at Brussels Airport Duty Free. I don’t own a bottle (of which more later), but it’s impossible to leave Mitsouko out of the SOTD series, so I resorted to taking a hurried snap at 7AM this morning to the astonishment of the sales staff.

If you’re ever assaulted by a perfume snob who demands to know what your favourite perfume is and you don’t want an argument, I suggest you say Mitsouko. It is so revered by perfumers and perfumistas alike that you cannot go wrong. Everyone from Jean Harlow to Sergei Diaghilev to Lou Dillon was/is a fan of this iconic fruity chypre (there are wars over how to define a chypre, but let’s agree for the purposes of this review that it means a complex fragrance that includes at least the notes of citrus, oakmoss and labdanum). This may be the only piece of useful advice you get out of my posts, so I hope you appreciate it.

Despite all this love for Mitsouko, I think it’s oldfashioned and musty and difficult (that’s why I don’t own a bottle). At least this was what I planned to write – a rebellious review to defy the perfume establishment! A manifesto of wearing only what you like and not caring what others believe to be classy! Unfortunately, when I sprayed myself with Mitsouko this morning, I found myself not disliking it. And after the initial discordant burst that I still think is somewhat musty, I’m afraid I kind of liked it. For the first time – and I’ve tried Mitsouko many, many times – I could see what the fans mean by the golden glow of ripe peaches, and the slightly sweet drydown didn’t seem too sugary. I sprayed again in Helsinki and no change, Mitsouko was still enjoyable.

I don’t know, maybe it’s a new formulation that suits me better or maybe sleep deprivation somehow agrees with Guerlain classics or maybe I’ve grown into it. I believe Mitsouko to be an acquired taste for most people – don’t be fooled by me mentioning the peaches, these peaches are so refined that if they were real, you’d most likely feel unworthy to eat them. I stand by my words about only wearing what YOU like, but all perfumes deserve a second chance. And some deserve a third (and possibly 27th).

A note on availability: It’s not as bad as one would think. Kaubamaja has the EdT, as do many airports. The best place to try Mitsouko is of course the Guerlain flagship on Champs-Élysées, but then you should forget all about the EdT and try the parfum concentration.

3 APRIL
Scent of the Day plus a brief rant: Bibliothèque (candle, Byredo)

One of my main complaints about the perfume industry (and I’ve got legion) is its conservatism and backwardness. It’s not necessarily/only about the scents, but the image of them. Have you, for example, seen the bottle of Elizabeth Arden’s Untold? No? Lucky you. Most of the perfume ads make me weep with the feminist, intellectual and aesthetic pain they cause. Even niche brands tend to stick to a nostalgic or traditionally glamorous narrative.

It’s been getting markedly better in the last few years: mostly thanks to smaller brands, but there are some mainstream examples, too (Martin Margiela comes to mind). Byredo, a great Swedish brand, was one of the first in what I’ll call Modern Cool category and they still do it better than most. I love their simple, black-and-white aesthetic (the perfume bottles are starker than the candles), their focus on design and contemporary visuals and their innovative concepts for scents. Also, you should google Ben Gorham, the founder of the brand, you really should.

The only problem is that I don’t love any of Byredo’s fragrances. I like several of them – Pulp, Gypsy Water, Bal d’Afrique, the new Flowerhead – but not enough to buy a bottle. There is, however, one Byredo product I adore and you’ve probably guessed that it’s their Bibliothèque candle. First of all, it’s called Bibliothèque. This was enough for me to order the candle unsniffed, something I’ve never done with a fragrance. And it smells exactly like my fantasy library with leather armchairs, wooden floors, bouquets of violets and some plum liqueur in the decanter. The candle is of very good quality (as it should, for that price) and the throw is impressive.

A note on availability: well, Stockholm isn’t that far, is it? If you’re willing to blind buy (which I don’t recommend), the web site is an option. There is a full list of stockists on the web site, too, with London, Paris and Brussels represented, among others. (Edit: It is now available in Crème de la Crème in Tallinn as well).

4 APRIL
Scent of the Day: Green Tea Scent Spray (Elizabeth Arden)

I had a lovely conversation today with a lady who has been interested in and working with perfumes for decades. What struck me the most during our chat was her total lack of snobbishness regarding fragrances: she has access to many very expensive scents from exclusive brands, but she seemed thoroughly unimpressed by all that.

So, duly inspired, let me turn to one of my favourite perfume categories: cheap thrills. This category is sadly getting smaller by the day, as most brands constantly adjust their prices upwards. L’Occitane, for example, used to be great at affordable, nicely made scents, but many of its products have gotten pretty expensive. Roger et Gallet and Demeter still do a good job, but they are not easily accessible for many of you – and part of the concept of a cheap thrill is that you should be able to buy it whenever fancy strikes.

One of my reasonably priced favourites is, however, very widely available and that’s Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea. I loved it before becoming a serious perfume nerd and I enjoy it still. To me, it smells less like a cup of Japanese tea and more like a glass of green ice tea with a slice if lemon. I’m afraid there isn’t too much else to be said about the smell, this is pretty much it – a straightforwardly nice spring and summer scent. You need to spray quite a lot, but that’s what cheap thrills are for.

A note on availability: as I said, this one is available almost everywhere. If you are in Estonia and don’t mind the atmosphere of Osturalli at Kaubamaja, you can have this for a very decent price at the moment. If you prefer your perfumes floral, try Green Tea Honeysuckle instead.

5 APRIL
Scent of the Day: Lyric Woman EdP and body cream (Amouage)

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I don’t do moderation well, so let’s move straight from a cheap thrill to the ridiculously expensive, shall we? I only own a sample of Amouage’s Lyric, the reason for its absence from my collection becoming abundantly clear as soon as one takes a look at the price of that red bottle (214 Euros for 50 ml, for the record). (Edit: It may be more now.)

It is unfortunate, therefore, that I really like this scent from the infamous Omani perfume house known for their opulent fragrances and aspirational pricing. It’s universally agreed to be a rose-based perfume, but while I certainly detect a dark rose in the centre of things, on my skin it’s more about rich, creamy sandalwood, spices and some incense (Omani incense is supposed to be the best in the world). Lyric is a mix of Arabic inspiration and French technique, a Perfume with a pretty capital P. While it might be too much for many people, I personally find it both comforting and sexy. I like it best when it’s half-gone, after whatever activities one might undertake while wearing a sexy fragrance.

This is probably the reason why I like it both as a perfume and a body cream. Of the latter, too, I only have a sample (no need to explain, I assume?), but if I was filthy rich, I’d buy 10 jars for my home in Marrakech. As a cream, Lyric is less sweet and in my opinion even less rosy – it becomes drier, woodier and more incense-y. It doesn’t function too well as a body cream, which makes the whole thing even more ridiculous (I mean, for 100 Euros one could reasonably expect nice texture and some moisturizing action, right?), but we are so far from rational territory anyway that functionality becomes kind of irrelevant.

A note on availability: doesn’t really matter (see the price above), but it’s sold in Kaubamaja, online and in many fancy perfume shops around the world.